


Coffee, Tea or Me?

by ribbonelle



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Making Out, Schmoopy teenaged angsty romance god seriously, University AU, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-31
Updated: 2015-09-12
Packaged: 2018-02-15 13:43:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2231193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ribbonelle/pseuds/ribbonelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being a barista had it perks. Extra credits, free coffee, and a chance to smile at one of the most beautiful mechanisms he had ever seen in his lifetime.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this for 30 days of otp on tumblr, and then i received a request for a continuation. something purely self-indulgent and light-hearted, i'd say. and dumb. i am gonna go now im so embarrassed with the title but i stared at the blank box for like five minutes i just shoved it in there oh my god goodbye

Skyfire was sure this didn’t count as stalking. He technically wasn’t doing _anything;_ really, he was just stealing glances and if he had time, gazes at the Seeker sitting in the booth next to the window. It was that particular customer’s favourite booth, and he came in at the same time on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. He ordered the same thing every time; a blistering hot macchiato, and a shepherd’s pie; and sat there doing the same thing; reading a datapad and taking notes. Sometimes, he’d look out the window and just watch people pass by, and his faceplates would be arranged into something almost melancholy.

Skyfire wasn’t entirely sure what the mech’s name was, because the flier seemed to come up with new and creative ways of addressing himself whenever Skyfire asked while taking his order. His personal favourite was that time when he had to call out for ‘My Lord’ to give the customer his coffee. The flier looked mighty pleased with himself, and despite Skyfire’s intense blush, the shuttle did smile particularly sweet at his customer. It wouldn’t do to be rude. The fact that the Seeker was really pretty came as a bonus, in a way.

It wasn’t until the Seeker came in with two other friends did Skyfire find out his name. They were a trio of Seekers, of the same frame but utterly different paintjobs and demeanour. A purple one had his arms slung around Skyfire’s usual customer and a blue Seeker, unabashedly eyeing Skyfire up when they came to the counter.

“This is him, Star?”

Star; apparently that was what Skyfire’s customer was called; elbowed the purple Seeker hard in the side. Skyfire was pretty confused, looking at Star, who waved a hand dismissively, “You always do my drinks, I told him about it. The usual for me, please,” he turned to his friends, “You idiots are paying for your own orders.”

“Awww, Screamer!” the purple one whined while Star moved to his booth, taking a seat. Skyfire smiled cordially at the Seekers standing in front of him.

They ordered a chocolate chip frappuccino and a black coffee, as well as a Danish pastry. The purple Seeker pointed at the shepherd’s pie in excitement to the blue one, exclaiming, “That’s Starscream’s favourite, right? He’s always going on about it.”

Skyfire worked on their orders, all the while mentally noting that name. Starscream. Interesting. That would explain the variations of ‘King Star’ and ‘Star the Magnificent’ his usual customer had given him. 

“Names, please?” is what he asked the duo instead, marker poised to write their designations on their respective cups.

“TC,” the blue one said before the purple Seeker piped up.

“Skywarp! And oh, for that guy over there,” he lowered his voice and jerked a thumb in Starscream’s direction, “Put Screamer. Thanks!” And he left, pulling TC in tow. Skyfire paused, debating internally.

Well, it wouldn’t do to refuse a customer’s demands.

He finished making the drinks and placed them on the pick-up counter. Here goes nothing, he thought.

“Screamer! Order’s up.”

Skywarp guffawed loudly from their table, while Starscream looked like he could murder someone with his bare hands. He stood up, reaching over to smack Skywarp’s head, before striding to the counter. Skyfire was a little intimidated, truly. Starscream grabbed his drink, hesitating, before looking at Skyfire with determination in his optics.

“It’s Starscream.”

“…Excuse me?”

“My name’s Starscream. Just so you know.” The Seeker seemed adorably embarrassed, despite the harsh clip to his words, or the hard glare in his eyes.

As usual, Skyfire smiled sweetly, the smile he’d unintentionally reserve only for this particular customer, “Alright, Starscream.” It was nice that the Seeker told Skyfire his name personally. Much better than finding out from anyone else.

Nothing much happened afterwards, as the trio proceeded to drink and eat in the window booth. They seemed like good enough friends, and Skyfire liked hearing their chatter as background noise as he worked. He couldn’t really stop smiling the entire day.

//

Starscream came in his favourite coffee place on a Monday, alone this time. After that last outing with his trinemates, he’d really rather cut his thrusters off than bring them back to this place. The shuttle barista was there, as usual, and his smile still made Starscream’s spark jump. He hated it. (He didn’t, but it was easier thinking he did.)

 He walked up to the counter, ordered his usual, and didn’t bother to give his name. If the shuttle remembered, then it wouldn’t be a problem. If he didn’t, well then, too bad. (Part of him was hoping badly that the shuttle did remember, but he’s not going to act like it). He sat at his usual booth and read his datapad right away, ignoring the pleased thrum in his field at seeing the shuttle again.

Starscream was lost in his reading after a while, but he was snapped out of his concentration by that pleasant, deep voice calling out his name. His full name, too. He made his way to the counter and took his drink, taking the time to thank the barista, before moving back to his table.

He lifted the cup to start drinking, but…that was peculiar. There was certainly more cream than usual on his drink. And what was that?

There was a small energon candy placed right on the dollop of cream, shaped like a star. A star and extra cream. Oh.

Starscream looked up only to see the shuttle looking at him expectantly in return, and was startled by Starscream’s sudden realization. He almost acted like he was doing nothing, before probably thinking the better of it and smiled shyly at Starscream, embarrassment obvious. Starscream’s faceplates were heating up.

“Hey, what’s your name? You never told me yours.”

The barista reset his optics a few times before replying with a smile, “Skyfire.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's the second part! i pulled the uni headcanons out of my ass obviously and this has just slight drama. it's starscream, of course. i apologize.

It was a Thursday, but Starscream did not come to the coffee shop. Nor did he come the day before, as he usually did. Of course Skyfire understood that sometimes routine could be disrupted by certain situations or events, but it was quite saddening to expect someone who never showed up. He had no right to be disappointed, but he was.

His harmless crush was getting out of hand.

But on Friday, the Seeker entered the café and rushed forward to the counter, his wings hiked up in obvious excitement. Skyfire couldn’t help his own wings jerking up in response, nor the smile that curved his lips.

“Hello, Starscream.”

“Hi. I had things to do, before. In case…you were wondering.” It seemed to have suddenly come to the jet that he was excited over nothing, and he rebooted his vocalizer, resuming what seemingly was a neutral expression, “My usual, please.”

Skyfire thought it was endearing, “Of course.”

Starscream sat at his booth, apparently restless as his leg kept bouncing and his wings wouldn’t keep still. It wasn’t till Skyfire called out his order (using his name, now, of course) did Starscream speak again, still trying to look collected.

“Skyfire, when will you be finished here? Is it till night time?”

The shuttle shook his head, “Oh, no. My shift ends in about an hour.”

Starscream looked pleased at that, “Do you have any plans for the evening?”

“No. I usually just head home after my evening shifts.”

“Perfect! Um. Do you want to hang out? I can walk you home or something, since…it’s a Saturday tomorrow,” the jet looked a little embarrassed at his suggestion, but warmth spread in Skyfire’s spark.

“Sure. I hope you wouldn’t mind waiting a while longer.”

Starscream waved his hand in dismissal, “It’s fine. Just tell me when you’re ready to go.” The jet then took his coffee and sat back down at his table, taking out a datapad from his subspace and proceeded to read. There was a small smile on his face, Skyfire noticed, all the while. Not to say the shuttle didn’t find himself smiling for no reason as he worked on a customer’s orders, but that was to be expected.

The minibot Skyfire worked with eventually arrived, and Skyfire passed them a quick greeting before untying the uniformed apron and subspaced it, getting out of the counter to stand beside Starscream’s booth. All of this felt a little surreal to him, “Shall we?”

The jet looked up from his datapad and nodded, typing in a few extra notes before putting it aside completely, standing up. A jet’s frame was considerably large, but Skyfire was bigger, and the difference in their height pleased him greatly. Starscream probably noticed it too, what with him needing to look up to meet Skyfire’s optics, but if he was bothered, he didn’t show it, “Let’s go.”

They exited the coffee shop and used the sidewalk, apparently going in the same direction. It was a little cold and a little dark, their vents visible as mist under the streetlights. It was a quiet time in the neighbourhood, not many mechanisms were out and about at this hour.

“Where do you live anyway?” asked Starscream, “I share a place with the two idiots you met in Vos Park.”

Skyfire tilted his head in recognition, “Oh, my apartment’s in New Kaon, “ he chuckled, “Seems like I’ll be the one walking you home, then.”

“Fair enough,” Starscream nodded, looking ahead.

“I see you reading a lot, Starscream,” the shuttle asked eventually. They might not be in each other’s company like this for a while, or ever again as far as he knows, so he wanted to make the most of it, “For your studies, I assume?”

The jet scoffed, and stood a little straighter, looking smug, “Yes. I’m taking most of the science courses, and it’s a lot of work. It’s fun, though, or I wouldn’t have bothered. Oh, and I meant to tell you why I didn’t come to the café for a while. We had a competition; I’m on the flier squad; and it was a two-day affair. Had to stay over at their campus and everything.”

Skyfire was impressed, “Flier squad? And you’re taking sciences too, you must be busy. I take the science courses too, actually. Where do you go to, Starscream?”

There was no mistaking the pride in the way Starscream puffed out his chest, “Decepticon University. I’m part of the student council. Granted that I’m not the President _yet,_ but I will be.”

“No way!” Skyfire laughed, the coincidence was too great, “D.U.? I’m attending classes at A.U.”

Starscream stopped in his tracks. The jet looked up at him with wide optics, before something akin to dismay distorted his features, “You’re an _Autobot_?”

“Yeah, I am,” Skyfire nodded with a smile, before noticing that Starscream definitely wasn’t sharing his happy mood.

In fact, Starscream was downright distressed, “No, no. Oh Primus, that can’t be right. We can’t date Autobots!”

Skyfire did know about the intense rivalry between his university and Starscream’s; it was almost like a blood feud at times; but aside from rooting for the Autobot teams in rallies or competitions, he never really paid the contention any mind. He raised an optic ridge though, in amusement, “We’re dating?”

Starscream’s optics reset a few times before he shook his head frantically, “No! I meant…we don’t usually associate with Autobots. Haven’t, for years! I can’t be seen walking around with one!”

Now that was just really pretentious. Skyfire folded his arms; they stopped walking when Starscream halted; and looked at the panicking jet, “Because you’re on the student council?”

“Yes! If Megatron finds out, I’d be slagged, and if Optimus fragging _Prime_ catches wind of this then I am seriously doomed—“

“Then don’t let them find out. I mean, as far as we know, as well as your Seeker friends, I’m just the barista at the coffee shop you frequent.”

Starscream paused, as if seeing Skyfire for the very first time, probably at a loss of words. Skyfire couldn’t help a smile; Starscream looked impossibly young with that expression on his face.

“We can just stop hanging out, if you want.”

Another bout of silence before Starscream shook his head, “Actually no. I don’t want.”

“Then we can hang out still, I guess. It’s not like everyone has to know we’re friends.” Skyfire continued walking then, and Starscream followed. The jet kept on looking at him, and Skyfire didn’t really mind. He did understand where Starscream was coming from, but it didn’t mean he cared as much of what people thought.

“You’re really not into university politics, are you?” Starscream asked, slightly amused.

“Nope,” was Skyfire’s cheery answer, and he smiled at Starscream’s consequent snickering. They were almost at Vos Park when Starscream placed a hand on Skyfire’s arm, pointing to the empty playground ahead.

“Let’s go there.”

So they did. Starscream sat on a bench at the side of the play area, and Skyfire joined him. There were no other mechanisms around, not at this hour, and night was falling. It was all still pretty surreal, and Skyfire felt at ease. It was nice, spending time with Starscream like this.

“Science courses,” Starscream murmured quietly after a while, leaning back to look at Skyfire, “Tell me about them.”

They engaged in a discussion about their respective science fields for a while, mildly surprised that their interests seemed to be quite similar, give or take a few aspects. Both of them were into creating things; Starscream leaning towards weaponry and defence aids, while Skyfire liked devices that could be used to further research.

“If _only_ ,” Starscream exclaimed in frustration, “There were more Decepticons like you studying science. And mind you, I don’t say this to anyone. There are just too many incompetent fools wasting their time at the labs, fragging up all the equipment. We could have even been partners.”

“I’d be honoured to partner up with you in the laboratories,” said Skyfire, honestly impressed with how vast Starscream’s knowledge concerning their mutual field was, “We have quite a few esteemed scientists but well… I suppose working independently would always be the more appealing choice.”

Starscream nodded, sighing as he leaned back again, optics scanning the playground. Skyfire watched him, noticing that the jet paused at the sight of the swings, and asked good naturedly, “Do you want to go to the swings?”

Starscream gave him a look, before raising an optic ridge, “You gonna push me?”

“Sure,” Skyfire laughed, and they stood up, with Starscream almost bounding over, dropping himself onto the metal seat as his fingers curled around the sturdy chains of the swing. Skyfire stood behind him and lightly pushed at first, letting the swing gain momentum on its own accord.

It was dark by now, and the light from a nearby lamppost illuminated Starscream’s plating as he swung back and forth, making him look almost ethereal. Skyfire thought that Starscream might just be the most beautiful mechanism he had ever seen in his life.

“Higher,” Starscream said almost breathlessly, and Skyfire obliged, putting a little more force into his pushes. Starscream was reaching quite an impressive height by now, feet kicking to try and go even higher. At one point, the chain jerked due to the pull of gravity and Starscream’s weight, and the jet jumped from the swing as it was very high up, onlining his thrusters to let him hover mid-air. He did a few somersaults over the swings and Skyfire laughed at the display, impressed. Starscream seemed like a true member of the flier squad.

Eventually the jet lowered himself down, facing Skyfire, till their faces were level with each other. Skyfire smiled, and the heat from Starscream’s thrusters were warming his feet but he didn’t care. Starscream probably didn’t either. No words were exchanged; they just stood there looking into each other’s optics. Skyfire lifted his hands after a while, spreading his fingers, stopping short at the level of his chest. The motion caught Starscream’s optics, and the Seeker hesitantly reached with his own hands, lightly placing them in Skyfire’s.  

He offlined his thrusters then, dropping deftly onto his feet. They spent a moment with Skyfire’s bigger hands covering Starscream’s, before Starscream pulled away. He turned around, walking a little farther from Skyfire, and glanced over his shoulder. It was dark, and Starscream’s faceplates were shadowed, but the red of his optics were dim and his voice was a little shaky and Skyfire could bet that the jet was more than a little flustered, “Let’s go.”

Skyfire hummed an agreement and walked up to Starscream, and they left the playground in amiable silence.

If Skyfire reached for Starscream’s hand while walking the jet home, and Starscream laced their fingers together, neither of them said a word about it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ft. skywarp and thundercrackalackin'. not exactly something picking up directly after the second chapter but it's part of the whole story altogether. i haven't made any plans on continuing this, actually, but i wrote something tied in to it soo here it goes.
> 
> based on this [super cute thing](http://brokendeathangel.tumblr.com/post/106832960269/happy-2015-everyone-good-luck-surviving-2015) brokendeathangel on tumblr drew!! i was inspired.

"Um," Skyfire was torn between glancing over at the two Seekers marveling over the fireworks display or to focus entirely on Starscream, who was doing a really great job of trying to attach himself to Skyfire’s front. Lip components were pressing against his jaw, and Starscream’s wings were flicking in pleasure, and Skyfire was very, very conflicted. 

"Starscream, they’ll see us," he whispered, even as his resolve steadily dwindled as Starscream mouthed at his cheek, "They don’t know, right?"

Starscream mumbled something inconspicuous, but paused his pawing to glance up at Skyfire’s face. He seemed to contemplate their situation, before deciding to dismiss it all. Skyfire opened his mouth to remind Starscream again, but then they were kissing, and his thoughts simply disintegrated. 

They’ve kissed, but never like this. Starscream’s mouth tasted mildly like champagne, and the way he was holding onto Skyfire…was tempting. But still, Starscream’s trinemates didn’t know.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. 

"TC! Look. You owe me 20 credits." 

Skyfire wanted to break their kiss, but Starscream’s hold on his face was suddenly vise-like. Skywarp’s sniggering was interjected with Thundercracker’s condescending tone, “Hey, Screamer. You realize that you’re making out with an Autobot?”

Instead of pulling off of Skyfire like he was burned, Starscream made a show of tilting his head back with Skyfire’s lower lip between his teeth, and released it slowly, hands still cradling Skyfire’s faceplates, “Yeah. But Skyfire’s a cute Autobot. And he’s  _Skyfire_. At least I have someone to kiss on New Years’ Eve.”

Thundercracker snorted, but nodded in agreement. After all, it wasn’t a secret how fond Starscream was of the shuttle who worked at his favorite coffee shop. It was just that Starscream would deny any suggestion of romantic attraction towards Skyfire, when asked. It was probably the alcohol that prompted him to act as he was currently.

"See?" Starscream murmured, leaning back in to kiss the side of Skyfire’s mouth, "They’re idiots. And they’re my trinemates. It’s fine."

It was slightly hilarious, considering that it was Starscream who was averse to anyone finding out about his involvement with Skyfire; an Autobot student; while Skyfire himself couldn’t really care less. But to appease his partner, Skyfire hummed his gratitude and kissed Starscream senseless. 

"If you guys are just going to suck face and grope at each other," Skywarp yelled eventually, "Get a fragging room!" 

Starscream pulled away from an especially heated kiss with a gasp, wriggling a little against Skyfire’s fingers that had fiddled with the seams of his cockpit, “Good idea. That’s a good idea. My place is closer, Skyfire.”

"But what about TC and Skywa—"

"Can you two not come back home tonight?" said Starscream instead, looking over at his trinemates somewhat casually, "I need the berthroom. And the kitchen, probably. And the living room, and the guest room and…"

"We get it, we  _get it._ " Thundercracker’s shout was loud enough to rival Skywarp’s, and he waved a hand with an expression that was a mix of disgust and exasperation, "Sure, whatever, do what you want. ‘Warp and I were going to head to the city anyway. Have fun."

Starscream’s smirk of triumph was lovely, and he turned to kiss Skyfire again. Skyfire gladly complied, but felt a little lost with what was happening. “Star,” he mumbled in between kisses, “Is this, mmph, is this okay?”

"Yes," replied Starscream, voice airy and light from contentment, "They don’t know how much I like you. They just think we’re doing it, like it’s meaningless. That’s my usual MO, anyway."

"Ah," Skyfire nodded, before he was properly silenced by Starscream’s mouth again. It didn’t matter, he got around before meeting Starscream, it wasn’t a surprise that Starscream did too, and well… "Mm, wait, so you’re saying you like me?"

The Seeker seemed offended, trying to make himself look stern but his gray faceplates were suddenly hot to the touch and he couldn’t meet Skyfire’s optics, and Skyfire knew he was blushing. That was  _endearing._

"I don’t know," Starscream hissed soon enough, seemingly aggravated by Skyfire’s sudden enthusiasm in nuzzling his face, "What gave it away? Is it the fact that I put up with you even if you’re so bad at keeping up with things? Is it because I actually don’t mind your dumb, big hands all over me or—"

"I like you too," Skyfire said simply, and Starscream’s words turned into undignified sputtering. He bonked his head against Skyfire’s in retaliation though, laughed at Skyfire’s complaint afterwards, and they kissed again. 

It was the best New Years’ celebration Skyfire had ever had.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apparently, love blooms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hanahaki byou (花吐き病)  
> ; a fictional disease where someone vomits flowers due to severe one-sided love. the only cure is to have their feelings reciprocated. 
> 
> i wanted to write vomiting. im p bad with it, i have emetophobia and yet i need to get over said phobia bc im actually studying things closely related to throwing up so...i suppose this is me making up excuses to write cheesy, gross things?? i really love the idea of this fictional sickness, though. and this is sappy as FUCk. im sorry. its set in this universe t it doesnt in anyway affect the verse itself. im just messing around, this isnt going to be addressed ever again. a lot of weird terms and Autobot and Decepticon are places (universities) rather than anything else. this is VERY embarrassing it doesnt even make sense okay bye

It happened out of nowhere.

Starscream was working on an assignment, drumming on his desk in agitation. This was the exact topic Skyfire had mentioned to him last week; beta-delayed proton emissions; he had gotten all excited over it, too, gushing about excitation energies with his blue optics too bright, hands gesturing in that controlled but expressive manner. Their lesson plans were different, of course, and Starscream was belatedly annoyed that Decepticon U taught that particular topic _way_ later than Autobot University did. 

He usually hated the idea of asking anyone for assistance in understanding study material, but that wasn't really the case with Skyfire. 

Maybe they could hang out at the coffee shop after Skyfire's shift; simply sit there and share some pastry while Skyfire explained ground based nuclei to him in that gentle voice. Then Skyfire would praise him for understanding so quickly, like he always did, and smile at him in that annoyingly attractive way that made Starscream want to—

He suddenly pushed away from his desk, doubling over, and retched. Something was in his throat, something persistent, small and suffocating, and Starscream slapped a hand over his mouth, knowing that he'd purge all over the floor if he didn't. 

Tears pricked his optics as he rushed to the bathroom, his gag reflex acting up, forcing him to expel the contents in his throat and he bent over the sink to give into it.

Something soft and wet and slimy slipped out of his mouth, having barely any consistency, and Starscream tried to make out what it was through his blurry vision.

A flower. 

A slightly rumpled, oral lubricant-soaked small, white flower, and Starscream recognized it, but he was reeling from shock.

How in the fiery pits of hell had he swallowed a flower?! 

He frowned at it, as if the wrecked plant could give him an answer. He had seen this particular flower. He tried hard to remember.

Gardenias. They were gardenias and he had been informed of them by Skyfire on one of their walks home after the barista's shift. There was a flower shop along the way to Skyfire's; Starscream had insisted on sending him home first, this time; and Skyfire had greeted the young femme who was busy rearranging flowers displayed at the front of the store, and she had waved back with a smile. 

She had been handling those same white flowers. 

"Pretty, " Starscream had said, referring to the femme; she had bright gold optics and sleek curves for a grounder, nowhere near worthy, but certainly pretty still. 

Skyfire had nodded, excited all over again, "They are, aren't they? I love gardenias. They've got this really strong smell, but it’s very fragrant and I think they look particularly sweet."

Starscream had paused, before registering his words, "You mean the flowers? You like flowers?"

"Yes," Skyfire replied sheepishly, suddenly embarrassed, "I plant some at home. There's a few species of plants that I'm tending to in the university as well. I find other organic life quite fascinating. Do you like flowers, Starscream?"

The question was almost painfully innocent, bordering on ridiculously naive, but Skyfire had looked so content speaking of his interest in organic flora, and Starscream's spark was doing somersaults in its casing.

"I guess they're alright."

Skyfire had smiled at him, and he wanted to run back and buy some of those stupid flowers just so Skyfire could keep smiling like that at him for the rest of the day.

Those same flowers. Gardenias. 

Starscream choked up again, heaved once more, and the wet petals blooming on his glossa and pushing in between his lips was definitely another fragging flower, and Starscream didn't understand what was going on.

The flowers were perfectly formed, too, there was no visible damage to them aside from the crumpled petals due to them rising from his blasted throat. Were they growing inside of him? Was this some slagged up parasitic organic disease for mechanoids that he hadn't heard of? Was he going to die?

Death by flowers. How disgustingly poetic. And he was to meet Skyfire today, too, just because it was a weekend and there was nothing better to do.

He vomited yet another flower at the thought.

//

Starscream didn't look very well, today. 

He had an opaque plastic bag in hand, an arm over his midriff like he was holding himself in, and a scowl that would intimidate the strongest of mechanisms. 

Skyfire gave him a wide smile, the smile he reserved specially for Starscream, and the scowl dissipated, just a little bit.

"Sorry, a neighbour insisted on having a conversation for a while. I tried to get away as soon as I could."

Starscream nodded, "Not soon enough. But whatever, it's fine. You're not _too_ late."

Skyfire frowned, rightfully concerned, "You don't sound so good, Starscream. Your vocalizer seems strained. Are you sick?"

"In a sense," the Seeker mumbled, and held the plastic bag to his mouth, grimacing, "Excuse me being extremely gross today, Skyfire. I probably should have stayed home, I'm being repulsive."

"It's okay, I don't mind! I'm just worried. You came here on my request, after all." Skyfire reached into his subspace, rummaging around, "Where is that thing...ah, here. The tape. It's not so bad I think, but my music taste isn't that great either." 

Starscream glanced up at the music tape, took it, and inspected it, "Looks interesting."

"It's pretty good. We should get you back home, you're sick. If you'd let me, I can make you soup or something. I can be a really good nurse."

Starscream laughed at that, and the look on his face afterwards was inexplicably gentle, Skyfire had to rein in his field tightly. He doesn't want Starscream to get the wrong idea. The flier had made it clear that there were to be friends and friends only. Skyfire was fine with that.

Starscream groaned, and pushed his face into the plastic bag. 

Skyfire immediately sat down on the bench next to his friend,  hesitating only a moment before patting the mech's back, an attempt to soothe. 

Starscream's wings lowered slowly, trembling a little from relief. But then he threw up again.

"Stop, stop," Starscream shook his head, "You're making it worse."

"I'm sorry!” Skyfire ceased all contact with him, wincing, "I thought it'd make you feel better."

Starscream leaned back, exhausted, "It did. It's complicated. Did you bring an audio cable with you?"

Skyfire reset his optics, before nodding, "Yes. You want to use them? I can lend them to you. But come on, let's get you home."

The Seeker made a face, shaking his head again, "Eugh, no. You think I'll get any peace being there? You know I share the apartment with two sons of glitches. The park's way better for me."

There really weren't many people around, the park was near empty and quiet, almost tranquil, and Skyfire supposed it made sense. He hadn't had time to spend with Starscream for a while, too. He could be selfish.

"Alright, but the moment you feel bad, just say so. I'll even let you sit in my hold."

Red optics brightened, " Oh so I need to be sick before I get a free ride? You drive a hard bargain, mech."

Skyfire laughed good-naturedly, reaching into his subspace again for an audio cable. His Walkman was well-used and sort of ancient, but it worked fine enough. Starscream handed him the tape he brought, and he slid it into the device. He offered it back to Starscream.

The Seeker messed with some loose paint on the bench, "You ever heard of sharing?"

Skyfire paused, before understanding, "Oh! Oh, okay." He certainly wasn't flustered. He gave Starscream the right jack while he took the other, and plugged it into his left audial receptor. Music played.

He sat back, sighing, and noticed Starscream glancing at him. He smiled at the Seeker and Starscream smiled back, leaning just a little closer. He jerked and reached for his plastic bag then, but didn't move away. 

The sound of his head resting on Skyfire's shoulder was so quiet, Skyfire almost didn't hear it.

"Say, Starscream," Skyfire spoke up, just as quietly, "I'm finishing my degree in a year, then I'm thinking of going for my Masters right away. Somewhere different. What are you thinking of doing?"

"Continuing as well, a little later than you, but still," Starscream said with conviction, but then paused, "Maybe...we could go somewhere different together."

Skyfire looked down at him in surprise, yet Starscream didn't move his head. 

"I'm not going to be at Decepticon forever. Nor are you, in Autobot. Nothing is permanent. And maybe then...it'll be okay."

Skyfire kept staring.

Starscream shuffled uneasily, ducked down for his plastic bag again, but Skyfire was still surprised. He might be severely wrong, but Starscream's words had their implications.

They were interested in one another, that was no secret, but Starscream's almost extreme aversion to the idea of dating an Autobot made Skyfire force himself to not even entertain such a situation. 

But this changed everything.

There _was_ a future for them, after all, if Starscream was as game for it as he was.

Skyfire smiled. And finally allowed himself to fall in love.

Starscream jerked hard, suddenly looking up with wide optics at his friend, an almost terrified expression on his face. Skyfire turned towards him right away, worried, "Starscream?"

"I'm okay. I'm okay. Something just felt really weird, here," he pressed a palm to his chest, where his spark was, voice a little shaky, "It was so warm..."

Then Starscream touched his throat, his mouth, looking quite puzzled, "I think I'm alright now."

Skyfire looked him over, and nodded, "I'm glad."

And as if he was taking a leap of faith, motivated by the possibility of whole-heartedly loving Starscream, he leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to the Seeker's forehead. The contact was brief, but it felt like his spark had bloomed.

Starscream stared up at him after, looking even more surprised than before, and his bottom lip quivered before he opted to press his face against Skyfire's shoulder, plastic bag slipping from his fingers. 

"Oh Primus," he heard Starscream gasp quietly, and Skyfire couldn't quite stop himself from smiling so hard his faceplates hurt. 

His optics caught the sight of something white on the ground, near their feet. The contents of Starscream's bag had spilled, and Skyfire had to recalibrate his vision, unsure if he was seeing correctly.

Flowers?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is really dumb. i cannot even explain, it’s just so ridiculous. there was an ‘imagine your OTP’ prompt that went like this, though: 
> 
> _Imagine your OTP is in a group of close friends together, and they start dating but don’t tell anyone. One day all of them are eating breakfast together, and when Person B gets up to leave they accidentally kiss Person A goodbye. In order to cover up, Person B kisses the rest of their friends too. (based on Friends!)_
> 
> the idea made me laugh so much so i just. had to. skyfire and starscream are already in a relationship but its secret! you can tell that i dont care for chronology when i write for this particular verse hahah

There were days where Skyfire’s and Starscream’s schedule were almost similar, and those were the days Skyfire loved the most. Every two weeks or so, Skyfire would have two or three free mornings, with different classes in the evenings, as did Starscream.

He had AP Calc today in the afternoon, while Starscream had Organic Chemistry at 1pm. Naturally, they had breakfast together. Breakfasts with Starscream was pretty fun. They’d usually meet up at 9 or 10, and Starscream would arrive at the coffee shop with his optics dim and his mouth a thin, straight line, and he’d drop himself carelessly in the booth that Skyfire had chosen. He woke up fairly early (or at least he told Skyfire that), but he obviously wasn’t a morning person. He would always look disgruntled, one way or another. But it was also nice, because a morning Starscream was a slightly indifferent Starscream.

His feet would collide against Skyfire’s under the table, their hands on it would be close enough for their fingertips to touch, he would lean forward to listen to what Skyfire had to say. Once, he even sat on the same side of the table as Skyfire’s, and it was a little awkward that Skyfire had to twist to the side a little to talk to Starscream. But it was oddly intimate, and at one point Skyfire’s arm was draped over the back of Starscream’s seat. He had daringly tapped the edge of Starscream’s right wing, and Starscream had simply given him a look, and then smiled. It was great. Skyfire adored mornings when Starscream didn’t care about the appearances that they had to keep so much.

But today was a little different.

Starscream entered the coffeeshop with an absolutely dark look on his faceplates. Skywarp and Thundercracker trailed behind him, and Skywarp’s arm shot up when he noticed Skyfire, “Hey! Skyfire!”

Starscream hissed something that was part profanity, part admonishment, and walked over to the table Skyfire was sitting at, seating himself next to the shuttle. It was nice that Starscream had opted to sit right beside him again, but the presence of the two other Seekers meant that Skyfire should probably keep his hands to himself. Well, that was fine. This was the first time Skywarp and Thundercracker had joined them for breakfast, and hopefully it would also be the last.

“Hello Skywarp, Thundercracker,” Skyfire said amiably, smiling, “No classes today?”

“Nah,” Skywarp said, “Mine got cancelled. Thundercracker’s too, apparently. Something’s going down at ‘Con U, we just don’t know what.” He then nudged Thundercracker, pointing towards the counter, “TC, get me whatever you have, ‘mkay?”

Skyfire glanced at Starscream, who glanced right back. He smiled, and gestured to the barista for the moment—a friend, they swapped shifts sometimes—and gently touched Starscream’s shoulder after, “I should go get our drinks.”

Starscream’s wings flicked, his frame relaxing under Skyfire’s hand. He shook his head, nevertheless, “Thundercracker can pick them up. I told them not to come with me, but they insisted. You stay here.” He turned and raised his voice, “TC, get our drinks too. Hurry up.”

Thundercracker’s consequent grumbling was loud enough for them to hear, but Starscream ignored it and Skywarp was busy arranging sachets of sugar, setting them on the table in some unfathomable formation.

Skyfire took his hand away from Starscream’s shoulder, but not before trailing his fingers over the plating of the Seeker’s arm, “Are you feeling alright, Starscream?”

“I had a really long day, yesterday,” answered Starscream, almost unconsciously leaning closer, his mouth twisted into a scowl, “I had to stay back for hours. All because of that good-for-nothing Megatron, he thinks I messed up some records so he made me recheck everything and there was _thousands_ of them, I swear to Primus—“

“Nobody asked you to be a power hungry, whiny glitch, Screamer,” Skywarp interrupted almost casually, shaking a sugar packet. He addressed Skyfire, “He honestly does all of this to himself.”

Starscream’s glare was terrifying, even Skyfire had to pause at the sheer violence the look conveyed. Skywarp simply shrugged, “You know I’m right.”

Quite certain Starscream would commit homicide if he got angrier, Skyfire reached for his side, gently touching his plating, “That’s alright. Tell me what happened? You look tired too. Did you get enough recharge?”

The tension in Starscream’s frame dissipated a little, “Not really. I slept a little. And shut your fragging trap, Skywarp, I didn’t ask you to come with me. The least you could do is act like you don’t exist. I’m talking to Skyfire.”

Skywarp sniggered, smirking. Starscream proceeded to ignore him completely, turning to look at Skyfire. He bemoaned the late meeting he had yesterday still, and Skyfire lent a sympathetic audial. He always did that for Starscream; the Seeker had a lot on his shoulders. It also allowed him to know Starscream better. And there was just something so appealing when Starscream spoke with genuine emotion, he looked really stunning.

Skyfire’s arm was shielded by the table, so Skywarp probably couldn’t see how he was lightly stroking Starscream’s side in a gesture of comfort. Starscream really must have had a bad day, the light touch made him seem a little docile, and there was a slight smile on his face when Skyfire expressed his empathy. He didn’t even seem to mind that his trinemates were with them.

Thundercracker returned eventually with breakfast, and they ate. It was actually really nice. Thundercracker and Skywarp were fairly pleasant company, and the fact that Starscream was sitting close enough that Skyfire could feel the thrum of his field made the shuttle feel really great. He didn’t get to be too physical with Starscream in public. The opportunity to be a little closer was appreciated.

Starscream was mildly irritated with his trinemates still, though he was in a better mood after venting to Skyfire. Skywarp kept making ridiculous jokes that Skyfire couldn’t help but snicker at, and Starscream would shoot Skyfire a mixed look of betrayal and amusement. Thundercracker’s wry comments were also entertaining in their dry, deadpan fashion. Starscream had good trinemates. They bickered like they were going to murder each other, but they complemented one another in a weird way.

If possible, Skyfire never wanted them around for his morning breakfasts with Starscream again, but they weren’t bad company in the least. He needed his quality time with Starscream, though. That was priority.

Time passed by without him really noticing it, as usual. An alert popped up in his HUD noting that he needed to get ready for his class soon, and he regretfully told the Seekers that he had to leave. Starscream sighed quietly, but nodded.

“Yeah, okay. Next time you can really tell me about the talk you went to. Without these two idiots around.”

Thundercracker and Skywarp made offended noises, but Skyfire laughed. Starscream was definitely pouting. “It’s not as fun as you think it was, Starscream. The details are boring. But if you insist, I’ll be sure to remember to tell you about it soon.”

Starscream scoffed, “Apparently the lecturer is really famous, so I just wanna know how good she really was. I don’t care if it’s boring. You gotta tell me what it was like. Promise.”

“Promise,” Skyfire smiled, feeling warm all over. He was often overwhelmed by how endearing Starscream could be. Starscream was giving him that little smile he has when he was content, and Skyfire couldn’t really help himself. He reached to tip Starscream’s chin up slightly, and leaned in to press a kiss to Starscream’s forehead. It was a habit by now, it was how Skyfire said goodbye after their morning breakfasts.

Only before, Thundercracker and Skywarp had not been present.

His lip components were still on Starscream’s plating when realization hit him like a truck, and he could acutely feel Starscream’s frame going rigid too. He had _messed up_.

Panicking slightly, mostly from how stiff Starscream was, Skyfire stood up and smiled anyway, trying to make it as genuine as possible, “See you later, then.” He turned to the two Seekers sitting opposite him, and leaned across the table to kiss Skywarp’s forehead, too.

“Thanks for joining us today,” Skyfire said, moving from Skywarp to reach for Thundercracker, whose optics were so wide they seemed comical. He kissed Thundercracker’s forehead briefly, and then got out of the booth they had sat at, “Have a nice day, guys!”

And he didn’t exactly run, but he sure did walk fast enough that he was out of the café in less than five seconds.

//

Starscream was trying so hard to act nonchalant about the whole thing. He really was. He shoved another piece of pie into his mouth, before looking up to see that his trinemates were staring at him with astonished expressions. Thundercracker had a palm over his forehead in disbelief.

Starscream swallowed his food and drawled, “What? He does that a lot. It’s his thing.”

“His _thing_?” Skywarp sputtered, wings hiked up high, “Wow. Okay. So he kisses people.”

“Yeah, it’s his thing. Weirded me out the first time he did it, too, but I’m used to it.”

Thundercracker was still cradling his forehead like it hurt. He was blushing. Skywarp whistled after a moment of silence, suddenly excited, “You know what would be brilliant? If you brought Skyfire over, some time. I mean, think about it, he’s big—“

“ _No_ ,” Starscream cut him off, horrified, “No. Don’t you even think about it!”

“But why not? He’s so cute.”

“He’s an Autobot! It doesn’t matter, none of you are fragging him. No way in the Pit. Being friends is already pushing it, there is no way anyone’s doing him.”

 Skywarp folded his arms, sulking, “You’re no fun, Screamer.”

“He’s cute,” Thundercracker reaffirmed, finally letting go of his head, “But he is an Autobot, yeah. If he wasn’t, though.”

Starscream looked quite scandalized, “TC, not you too.”

“What? I haven’t had forehead kisses since I was a bitling. I mean, you gotta give him credit for being adorable as hell—“

“Aw, TC! You want me to start giving you those?” Skywarp puckered his lip components and started reaching for Thundercracker, who was amazingly averse to the idea. He smacked his hand right in Skywarp’s face, keeping the Seeker at bay.

And Starscream couldn’t for the life of him remember why he trined with the two idiots squabbling before him now.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is set in a time where skyfire and starscream’s friendship is still new, and things aren’t being addressed accordingly. there is angst/conflict here, but also...feelings? also fluff, this whole verse is literally just a fluffy pillow

Skyfire had been so very excited.

The Annual Intervarsity Games had begun, and it was as if the air thrummed with anticipation; every single Autobot just as excited as Skyfire was for the games.  Skyfire himself would have joined the science quizzes, teamed up with Perceptor and Wheeljack. They had done pretty well in the previous years. The competition was fun, and Skyfire got to meet many mechs. Unfortunately, he had his minor thesis for the year and he didn’t want to take the risk of getting too caught up with the games.  It wasn’t a big deal. He could always enter again next year.

But he had been so very excited.

Mostly because Starscream had mentioned that they’d be performing before the football finals. There was a different pregame performance every year, by different universities, and this year Decepticon Uni had the privilege. The performances were always so impressive. The leader of the student council; Optimus Prime; had even sent a memo to all the students via email that they should behave accordingly during the Decepticon students’ performance. It wasn’t a secret that the two universities had some sort of intense rivalry going on. It was almost like a blood feud, sometimes.

But Skyfire had been just so excited. He had wanted to see Starscream perform ever since the Seeker mentioned being in a squad to him. He had never seen flier squads perform live before, the Aerialbots were only formed the previous year and were apparently still practicing hard for the coming regionals. He’d seen some performances on television, and had been so entranced. Flier squads were extremely agile in the air, and every routine had their own message; it was all in the patterns they drew in the air, in the flicks of their wings and the loops they’d execute. And to think that Starscream was in a flier squad? Skyfire had been _extremely_ excited.

Ask any student that vaguely knew about the Intervarsity Games about who they predicted to be in the finals. Everyone would say that it would be the teams from Autobot, and Decepticon. It had been so for many, many years. It would be taboo for some other team to proceed to the finals. And true enough, the two specific teams did proceed to the finals. The game was to be played at night, and that morning, Starscream arrived with his squad for rehearsals.

 Needless to say, Skyfire had been waiting in the bleachers hours earlier, trying his best to focus on the methodology of his study before perking right up when he heard a group of voices on the field. It was the Decepticon flier squad, getting ready for their rehearsals, scattering across the field to take their positions. Skyfire saw Starscream right away.

Starscream was at the top of the formation, a hand on his hip, looking adequately bored as their coach barked out instructions. His trinemates were in the squad too, but Skyfire didn’t pay them much attention. There weren’t many Autobots around, mostly the event organizers and some teachers, (and some aftholes, considering the way they were whistling and hooting at the edge of the field), and Skyfire wasn’t sitting too high up on the bleachers. It was inevitable that Starscream saw him.

Skyfire waved just a little, an almost unnoticeable lift of his hand, and he saw Starscream’s responding smirk clearly. Skyfire himself smiled at the instant comm he received from Starscream’s frequency.

_:Go away, Skyfire.:_

_:But I want to watch you practice!:_

_:No, no. Then you won’t be impressed when you see the real thing, later. You’re coming to the game, right?:_

_:I am,:_ Skyfire huffed visibly, and Starscream folded his arms, looking right at him, apparently stern, _:I’ll be impressed, I’m sure of it. I’m not leaving.:_

_:Leave. I’m warning you. Go do your work and watch tonight instead. It’ll be way better. And I’m not budging unless you leave_.:

: _You can’t do that, your coach would get mad.:_

And the big, shrill Seeker was definitely getting more agitated by the minute. He was pacing to and fro between the squad members, pulling their arms here and there so they were positioned just right, and he eventually got to Starscream. And Starscream simply lifted a hand to check his fingertips for scuff marks, even as the coach practically yelled at him to get his aft in line.

_:I’m serious, Skyfire. Shoo.:_

It was sort of terrible, how high the coach’s wings were hiked up in his anger, and Skyfire really didn’t want Starscream to get into more trouble. The Seeker was being pretty insolent. And manipulative. But Skyfire had figured that out a while ago.

: _Tsk, fine. For Primus’ sake, do what he says already, he’s going to pop an energon line, Starscream_.:

Skyfire got off the bleachers, and headed to leave the field altogether. He heard Starscream’s piercing voice say something, and the coach’s yelling dwindled, and he shook his head to himself. He had been so excited, too.

: _Oh don’t be sad, droopy wings. I promise you the show will be worth the wait_.:

Skyfire snorted, but sent Starscream a ping in agreement anyway. It was pretty hard to focus on doing his thesis while he was sitting on the bleachers anyway, too out in the open. He would just have to wait. Starscream have kept his promises, so far.

//

He thought it would be nice if he wished Starscream good luck before the performance. So he made sure to leave for the game early, and even then there were already mechs there, overexcited students and family members. The football teams were already on the field as well, warming up and discussing strategies probably, and Skyfire found Starscream with the rest of the Decepticon flying squad, resting on the benches.

Starscream hadn’t noticed him yet, though , facing one of the other Seekers in conversation. The rest of the resting Decepticons were staring at Skyfire with wariness and even contempt on their faceplates, but Skyfire wasn’t affected in the least.

“Starscream,” Skyfire called when he was close enough, and Starscream’s wings shot up in surprise. Skyfire smiled to himself, “Good luck for your flight.”

His smile waned a little, when Starscream’s wings did not lower from relaxation. In fact, they were held even more precisely, the universal cant for ‘hostility’. He didn’t quite expect this.

Starscream turned around and he was frowning, field as unwelcome as it could be, “Thanks. Whoever you are.”

_:Oh my god, what the **frag** are you doing? Leave!:_

He did exactly that. Skyfire acted like he had said nothing and walked away, confused, humiliated, and more than a little irked. He had forgotten. As great as it was to be friends with Starscream, he was also one messed up mech.

“Wow. You got a fanclub in Autobot U, Starscream?” he heard the other Decepticon ask, and Starscream made a revolted noise at the sentiment. Skyfire wasn’t even surprised.

“Who knows. That’d be gross. They’re all just losers, anyway.”

How charming.

: _You know I don’t mean that,:_ Starscream sent him a quick comm. as he left for the bleachers, : _I told you not to talk to me when—:_

: _I get it. I get it, Starscream._ : Skyfire replied, and offlined his comm. frequency altogether.

//

Starscream in the air was really breath taking. The entire flying squad was astounding, flying in complicated loops and patterns that seemed to take no effort, but with extreme grace and elegance. Not one mech could look away; even some of the Autobots who had made a point _not_ to look at Decepticon’s performance ended up gaping skywards, taken aback by the fliers. Starscream was one of the main elements of the team, if not the key attraction itself, as he was the mech who pulled off most of the solo dives and barrel rolls. He gleamed, too, bright in the sky like his namesake.

It was lovely to watch. Skyfire was glad he waited for the performance.

He had half a mind to leave, after going to wish Starscream luck. But he supposed it was his fault for not remembering that Starscream had explicitly warned him not to strike up conversation with the Seeker in public. They had agreed to stick with comms, and Skyfire had forgotten.

Starscream’s words still hurt, they were mean and shitty, but Skyfire decided that he couldn’t blame Starscream entirely. The mech was volatile, anyway, he should have known. He did sign up for being friends with such a mech a while ago.

He still felt a little sore, nevertheless.

But the Decepticon’s performance was amazing. Starscream was better at flying that he had initially assumed.  Mechs were still whispering about it when it was over, even as the match began. Skyfire couldn’t regret watching Starscream perform at all.

Things got loud fairly quickly. It was as if every voice from Decepticon U and Autobot U were chanting for their respective teams, and the atmosphere was intense. It was enjoyable, however, watching the teams play against each other. Both teams played really well, too, so things were even more interesting. But of course Skyfire wasn’t as invested in the Decepticon-Autobot rivalry as most of the other students, so he didn’t really feel the tension everyone else must have felt.

He would have watched till the end, but the score of the game ended up 0-0, so sudden death was to be held. Skyfire thought that it was too much of a hassle to wait. Besides, he still had some more additions to his thesis, and he figured that he should settle that before he ended up procrastinating. There was no telling who would win, but Skyfire could always find out tomorrow. Things would probably turn a little ugly tonight anyway, no matter what team scored, and he didn’t want to be involved in that in the least.

So he left his seat and made his way off of the bleachers to head home.

He did not expect someone to touch his arm once he was behind the bleachers. He turned around, and it was Starscream.

No one else was around, Skyfire noted, after a quick glance to his surroundings. It was dark as well, so it would explain Starscream’s proximity. Skyfire raised his optic ridges, “Yes?”

The roar of the spectators watching the game was loud, and Starscream waited till it died down before speaking, “Are you leaving?”

“Yes. I have some work to do before I turn in for the night.”

“I, uh. I’m sorry.”

This was considerably new, “Pardon?”

Starscream’s optics dropped to the ground, but he didn’t move his hand away from Skyfire’s arm, “I’m sorry I said all those things. I had to, but that’s not really an excuse. Are you mad at me?”

Skyfire thought about it. He exvented eventually, smiling a little, “Not so much, anymore. It’s fine, Starscream. At least I’m not going to forget about public conversations with you ever again, right?”

The Seeker glanced up, and guilt was etched into his faceplates. The hand on Skyfire’s arm slid down to take the shuttle’s hand, and Starscream pulled it a little closer, “I’ll make it up to you. I really will, I promise. It just...It just felt bad after I said what I said to you. You didn’t deserve that in the least.”

True words, but Skyfire couldn’t quite stop marvelling at how apologetic Starscream was. Somehow, this felt profound. “Thank you, Starscream. No harm done, though I really appreciate you saying this.”

“...Yeah. I’ve never really met a mech like you, so I don’t want to...drive you away or something,” Starscream said, before quickly adding, optics a little bright from what seemed to be embarrassment, “So how did you like the flying? Was it good?”

“It was great! It really was, Starscream, I especially loved the third formation, where everyone formed a star, the lighting was amazing. You’re really talented.”

Starscream laughed, “I told you it was worth the wait.”

“It was definitely worth the wait.”

 They were just friends, Skyfire knew. They’ve established that from the beginning.

The crowd watching the game started roaring again; someone had won; but as Starscream smiled at him in a way that seemed to mean _something,_ Skyfire found that he couldn’t bring himself to care about anything else but this moment, only the two of them.


End file.
